Black Hills State volleyball played in their second contest of the weekend against Colorado Mines on Saturday, falling to the Orediggers 3-1 after a strong start in the first set.
 
The Yellow Jackets (5-13, 0-8 RMAC), however, recorded 12 service aces on the night, which tied for the third-most service aces recorded in a match in program history. Abigail Renner is the fifth Yellow Jacket in program history to record five service aces in a single match, while Audrey Brgoch recorded four from behind the line.
 
Renner led the offense on the night, with 10 kills and five block assists went along with her ace count to allow the junior to cash out with 17.5 points. Randi Wellhoefer also had a productive night for BHSU, as she finished with seven kills along with three digs, a solo block, and three block assists to finish the night with 9.5 points.
 
Audrey Brgoch and Haedyn Rhoades both contributed to the 12 Yellow Jacket aces, with Brgoch reeling in four while Rhoades nabbed a pair of her own, with Emma Kruger claiming her own ace. Brgoch aided in the offensive effort with six kills while Rhoades turned in 10 digs against CSM.
 
Set One (W, 25-22)
The set started with a tie through the first four services, but a Freeland kill kicked off a 7-0 run for the Yellow Jackets, boosted by four service aces from Renner and a Cardenas-Brgoch block to lift BHSU to an 8-2 lead.
 
Colorado Mines, however, began to regain footing from here as they racked up a 9-2 run of their own to bring themselves back into the game at a 13-all scoreboard, later taking a 15-13 lead off two in a row from a BHSU timeout.
 
Kills from Renner and Brgoch, along with an unforced error on the Orediggers, tied the game once more, 16-16. Another run from BHSU, this time from four straight kills from Wellhoefer, a Rhoades service ace, and kills from Brgoch and Freeland brought the Yellow Jacket lead to 23-20.
 
Renner and Alyson Louderback finished off the first set with one kill each, giving BHSU the first set point and lead of the contest, 1-0.
 
Set Two (L, 25-14)
With the exception of two points given up by the Orediggers to unforced errors, CSM opened the second frame with seven unanswered points to take a 7-2 lead. Following another 3-1 run from CSM, the Yellow Jackets began exchanging blows with the Orediggers until a quick three-point burst from BHSU brought them to a 14-9 deficit.
 
BHSU continued to fight back in the set, trading service hands with the Orediggers until a 5-1 run down the stretch left BHSU in a 24-13 hole, with a Renner kill serving as the final point for BHSU in the set and the 1-1 tying score for CSM.
 
Set Three (L, 25-13)
Though the third set started on a much more level playing field, the Orediggers recorded another 7-0 streak to open an eight-point, 10-2 lead over BHSU. In quick fashion, however, an Emma Kruger service ace launched a 6-2 run for the Yellow Jackets, which included two more aces from Brgoch and one kill each from Brgoch and Renner to force an Oredigger timeout at a 12-8 score.
 
Out of the break, however, another ten unanswered from the Orediggers did all but end the set, lifting the Orediggers to a 22-8 lead. BHSU scored two more offensive points in the set, but the lead was too much to surmount and the Orediggers took the 2-1 match lead.
 
Set Four (L, 25-20)
Hannah Lamon kicked things off in the fourth frame with a kill of her own, which paired with an unforced error on the Orediggers to give BHSU a 2-0 lead to start. Once again, CSM struck back with a heavy hand, recording another large chunk run to take an 8-4 lead over the Yellow Jackets.
 
A Wellhoefer-Izzy Saiki blocking effort and Wellhoefer kill, however, helped pull BHSU within two of the Orediggers, 9-7, where the match would sit for some time.
 
With BHSU down 11-9, the Orediggers grew hot on offense and began to separate themselves once more, drawing their lead to 17-12 until another Yellow Jacket push put BHSU within one, 17-16, and forced a CSM timeout.
 
Despite the push, CSM used the timeout to regain composure and secure their final 5-1 run of the evening, drawing a 22-17 scoreboard heading into the final services. BHSU continued to trade with the Orediggers, but the point difference allowed CSM to finish on top by five, securing the 3-1 match victory.
 
 
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets will have a quick turnaround heading into next week as they host South Dakota Mines on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. for a Nerd-themed Rivalry Night.